Track construction and fittings



' (No Model.)

T. CLIFTON.

. TRACK GONSTRUGTION AND FITTINGS.

No. 563,744. Patented YJuly 14, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

THOMAS CLIFTON, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF TlVO-TIIIRDS TO GOODLOVP. GILTZ, F SAME PLACE, AND THOMAS J. BAKKER, OF

LUDLOXV, KENTUCKY.

TRACK CONSTRUCTION AN D FITTINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563, 744, dated July14, 1896.

Application filed February 17| 1896. Serial No. 579,508. (No modehl ToaZZ whom, t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS CLIFTON, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Cincinnati, Hamilton county, and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Track Construction andFittings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, attention beingcalled to the accompanying drawings, with the referencenumerals thereon,which forni a part of this specification. Y

This invention relates to an improved construction of railway-tracks andto certain ttings required in connection therewith. It relatesparticularly to such tracks where metallic cross-ties with specialfittings are used to secure and connect the rails without the use ofbolts, fish-plates, and spikes.

The special features of this invention comprise, therefore, an improvedtie on which the rails rest, `fittings whereby they are connectedthereto, and special fittings to support the rails which form theswitches. ln general all parts and fittings of the construction aregreatly simplified to cheapen their manufacture and reduced in number asmuch as possible, whereby the laying of tracks is greatly facilitatedand removal for repair of any of the parts, ties, or rails is readilyaccomplished without disturbance of the unaiected parts of the track.

In the following speciiication and particularly pointed out in theclaims is found a full. description of the invention, its parts andmanner of construction, which latter is also illustrated in theaccompanying draw ings, in which- Figure 1 shows in a perspective viewpart of a railway-track constructed after my improved plan, andcomprises a tie with portions of the rails supported thereon. Fig. 2 ina longitudinal section of the tie shows the parts illustrated in Fig. 1.Fig. 3 in a perspective view of one end of a tie shows certain specialrequirements at junctions of rails, one of the latterbeing about to beplaced in position. The same view shows also one of the fittings beforeput in place. Fig. et is an end view of one of the ties witharailthereon. Fig. 5 in a perspective view shows manner of supporting the endof a movable rail or switch-point- Fig. G in a sectional view shows thefitting required for such purpose and its manner of application.

The tie is substantially trough-shaped having upturned flanges 8, whichstiiien the same, serving also for other special purposes to bepresently described. Near their ends and properly distanced apart theupper edges of these iianges are recessed, as shown at 9, to receive thebases of the rails 10. These latter are held in place by clips orspecial iittings, consisting, substantially, of jaws 11 and 12, whichembrace the flanges on the sides of the rail-bases, and which jaws arecontinued at their inner ends, the ond of jaw 11 downwardly to forni asupport 13, which rests on the bottom of the tie, and the end oi' jaw 12upwardly to form an abutment or brace 14, which lies against the web ofthe rail. The length of this whole clip is such as to tit between theflanges of the tie, which thus conne it between them againstlongitudinal displacement.

The clips are held in position by bolts 15, preferably square andslightly tapering, which pass through and occupy a longitudt nal groove16 in the outside of the clips and at the edge formed by the junction ofjaws 11 and 12. The ends of these bolts pass through holes 17,correspondingly located in flanges S of the tie, and are provided on theoutside of the latter at one end with a head 18 and at the otherwith around and threaded end which receives a nut 19. Beyond the latter asplit key 20 may be provided to prevent loosening of the nuts.

.As will be seen, one of the rails is held by two clips at one end ofthe tie, while only one clip is used for the other rail at the otherside and at the inside thereof. In place of a second clip for this railparts of such clip are permanently formed by the iianges 8 of the tie,which are raised at one side of the recesses 9 and form a stop 21thereat. The reasons for this variation in construction will be madeclear when the mode of laying the track IOO is described. At junctionsofA rails their adjoining ends are prevented from separating by notches22 cut in one of the flanges at the base of the rails, such notchesbeing so located as to be at points where flanges 8 come in contact withthe rails, the recess 9 thereat being shorter, so as to cause part ofthe flange 8 to occupy the notches, as will be readily understood froman inspection of the drawing Fig. 3.

At places where movable rails are used, as at switches, for instance,special fittings 23 are required to support them and also to permit thepoint of such movable switch-rail to come close up to the stationaryrail. These fittings consist of a supporting-top 24, on which the railrests, and two legs 25, depending downwardly therefrom to the bottom ofthe tie. They also, like the clips, fit between the upright flanges 3 ofthe latter and are confined by them in one direction, while in the otherdirection they are held by the rails themselves by reason of tops 2%being higher to either side of the base of the rails, as shown. Thesehigher parts form on one side a rib 20 and on the other a comparativelybroad surface 27, upon which the switch-point rests and moves during itsadjustment. Vhile in this case apparently no means are shown whereby therails are held down to the ties, it should be understood that offittings 23 only a limited number are used and near the points of theswitch-rails only, which latter are generally located between the endsof the full-length rail-sections.

Beyond the ends of the switch-rails the main rails are securely held tothe ties by the clips, as before described, and thereby enabled to holdthe few fittings 23 between their ends in position by simply resting onthem. The construction of railway-tracks becomes very much simplified ifpracticed in accordance with my invention.

The ties having been laid in their proper positions, the rails are laidon them, occupying recesses 9 in the upper edges of their flanges S.Near the ends of the rails where they join special fies are used withshorter recesses S) to enable the flanges S to enter notches 22 in therail-bases for the purpose of holding the adjoining rail ends together,as has been eX- plained before. The clips are then applied sidewise andshoved up against the flanges of the rails which enter into the spacebetween the jaws 11 and 12 thereof. XVhen in their proper positions,theyare held therein by keys 15, which are passed in, entering on one sidethrough one of the openings 17 in one of the flanges 8, then occupygroove 16 in the clips, and pass out through openings in the oppositeflange, where the nut is applied to the protruding end.

In such places where switches are to be lo cated the special fittings 23required to support the movable switch-rails are placed in positionfirst between the flanges of the tie before the rails are laid over thelatter.

As will be seen, no difficult mechanical manipulations are required inthe construction of these tracks and the laying of rails may beproceeded with in an easy and rapid manner. All parts are individuallyaccessible for re pairs or replacing and any tie maybe readily taken outsidewise after the clips holding it to the rails are disconnected. (Seedotted lines in Fig. 2.)

In devising the fittings special attention has been given to use a shapewhich permits cheap manufacture and which is without any projections,depressions, openings, duc., requiring the use of cast-iron or requiringfinishing by machinists7 work. In the shape designed. therefore, thesefittings are rolled out in rails having a profile as they appear inFigs. 2 and 6 and after which they are cut or sawed oil to properlengths to fit between the flanges or' the ties.

Having described my invention, I claim as new- 1. A metallic tie havingtwo upturned flanges 8 provided with recesses 9 in their upper edges, incombination with rails, the bases of which fit within said recesses andclips having jaws 11 and 12 adapted to engage between thema flange onone side of the rail base and having the brace 14 and the support 13,the first resting against the web of the rail and the latter on thebottom of the tie, an open groove 16 in each clip and a bolt 15 passingthrough the flanges of the tie and occupying said groove.

2. A metallic tie having two upturned flanges 3 provided with recesses 9in their upper edges and stops 21 at one side of those recesses near oneend of the tie only, in conibination .with rails, the bases of which fitinto said recesses and the web of one of the rails resting against stops21 formed at one end of the tie only, clips adapted to engage theflanges of the base of the rails, one clip for the rail resting againststops 21 and en gaging with the flange opposite such stops and two clipsfor the other rail engaging with the flanges at each side of the basethereof' and bolts to hold the clips in place.

3. A metallic tie having two upturned flanges 8 provided with recesses 9in their upper edges and stops 21 at one side of those recesses near oneend of the tie only, in coinbination with rails, the bases of which fitinto said recesses and the web of one of the rails resting against stops21 formed at one end of the tie only, clips adapted to engage theflanges of the base of the rails, one clip for the rail resting againststops 21 and engaging with the flange opposite such stops and two clipsfor the other rail engaging with the flanges at each side of the basethereof'` such clips each consisting substantially of two jaws 11 and 12adapted to receive one or the flanges of the rail-bases, an abutment ilwhich braces the web of the rail, a support 13 and an open groove 1G attheir outside and bolts 15 passing through openings in the IOO IIO

flanges of the tie and occupying said grooves in the clips whereby theselatter with the rails are held to the ties.

4. A clip to secure rails to metallic ties,

consisting of two jaws 11 and 12, one being continued upwardly to forman abutment 11 to brace the web of the rail, the other being continueddownwardly to form a support 13 and a groove 16 sunk in from the outsideat the edge where jaws 11 and 12 join.

5. A special fitting 23 to support movable rails and switch-points intrack constructions where metallic ties are used, such fittingsconsisting of a supporting-top 24., legs 25 depending therefrom, partsof the top being higher to form a rib 26 and a broad surface 27 uponwhich the switeh-points are supported during adjustment, suoli fittingsbe: ing held in position by the langes of the tie and by the bases ofthe stationary rails which they also support and which fit between the dTHOMAS CLIFTON. Witnesses:

C. SPENGEL, ARTHUR S. KLINE.

